H. R. Electronics Company

William A Seiter

Joseph L Levasseur

Calvin J Christensen

A detector device adapted to be used for detecting coins and other metal objects for various purposes including to distinguish between genuine and non-genuine or counterfeit coins, the subject detector device includes an electric tank circuit having a coil through which, or adjacent to which, an object or coin to be detected moves, apparatus to electrically shock the tank circuit to produce an output representative of the object or coin and represented as a damped wave signal the frequency and shape of which depends on the electrical characteristics associated with the tank circuit and on the physical and electric characteristics of an object or coin being detected, and a detector circuit operatively connected to the tank circuit including circuit elements connected to respond to one or more characteristics of the damped wave output. The detector circuit may optionally include circuit elements connected to respond to the shape of the envelope of the output, the number of cycles of the output that exceed some predetermined value, the time required for a number of cycles that exceed some preselected value to take place and/or to pronounced changes that occur in the shape of the envelope such as to a marked change in the rate of decline of the damped wave output. The present detector device optionally may also include other circuitry operatively connected thereto to modify the shape of the envelope, to establish time spaced electrical shocks of the tank circuit, to count cycles of the damped wave output that exceed some preselected value, and the device may include a cycle counter apparatus, a decoder circuit, and/or an apparatus actuatable in response to the occurrence of one or more predetermined parameters of the damped wave that are used to distinguish between objects that differ from one another in some one or more respects.

Detection device

An apparatus for detecting objects such as coins and the like and for generating signal responses that depend on the metal content or other characteristics of the object or coin, which apparatus includes a detector circuit including an oscillator device having a coil portion for producing a frequency change due to the presence of an object or coin in the field thereof, said detector circuit producing output responses to represent the presence of objects or coins having certain preselected characteristics, and other control circuits including a circuit portion responsive to the output responses of said detector circuit for inhibiting the operation of such control circuits. The present device may also include a coin handling apparatus which prevents return to a customer of an object or coin that has characteristics that are not acceptable for vending, change making, or other functions.

Coin detection device

A control circuit for a pay phone including a coin unit where money is deposited and validated, an entry circuit having a first input connected to the coin unit for entry of amounts deposited, a second input to the entry circuit for communicating thereto call price information, a control element operable in response to deposits of an amount at least equal to the call price for enabling the customer to dial his call and to enable phone communication with the dialed phone, and apparatus to control payback of excess amounts deposited. The control circuit is preferably powered by a rechargeable energy source that may optionally be connected to the telephone line to derive charging current therefrom to maintain the charge on the energy source. The present control circuit may employ optical or other forms of couplers to establish connections to communicate the dialing mechanism and telephone handset with its associated transmission controls to the telephone line.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis County, MO, United States of America

William A Seiter